


Brutish

by tackypanda



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-02-23
Packaged: 2018-05-22 19:26:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6091567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tackypanda/pseuds/tackypanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vivienne does not enjoy Inquisitor Trevelyan's disregard for propriety. At first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brutish

The Inquisitor cared about a great many things, but the way she presented herself was definitely not one of them. Sure, she fancied ornate armor pieces - a shared interest that both delighted and disgusted Vivienne, as Niobe's taste was rather hit or miss. But when it came to what she did with the rest of her body - hair, teeth, limbs, posture, facial expressions - she may as well have been running around naked for all the good her attire did her. She was a brute on first impression, plain and simple, no indication she had ever been of a high station unless she stated so.

And where were those tendencies exercised better than in the training field, and not just because it was right next to the tavern. The Inquisitor wore nothing but a shabby tank top and an old pair of dirty, ill-fitting trousers, both of which she sweat right through as she laid into new recruits and smashed her maul into the dummies. She could see it all from her balcony, if barely. In the beginning, she actually worried that if any dignitaries coming to Skyhold were first introduced to their Inquisitor in such a state they would turn right around and leave, spreading the word about how the supposed Herald was a complete animal.

Vivienne took to watching her closely - not too close, she couldn't risk getting an elbow to the face or assaulted by errant spit - through her gold binoculars, a gift from some comte or other when she first joined Celene's court. She had been doing her best to get Niobe to work on presenting herself more formally, but hell if that woman gave a flying shit about anything when it came to fighting. She had even subtly encouraged her to be more careful in combat, not so reckless - all bets were off when there were no 'actual' adversaries to face, at least in the Inquisitor's opinion. Vivienne dreaded to think of how she would snowball their dealings at the Winter Palace if she still had yet to learn that maneuvering through Thedosian politics was far more dangerous than any ancient darkspawn.

And those binoculars provided a _close_  view - she could see the gleaming beads of sweat on Niobe's forehead, how deep her scars went, her muscle definition, her pudgy belly straining against the shirt's tight fabric, her chest heaving, the muscles in her back contracting with every strike of her maul, how _tight_  her pants where in the rear.

Vivienne continued to watch her this way well after Niobe demonstrated she knew damn well how to clean herself up, act like a lady, and play the Game. Perhaps it became more about the, er, entertainment.

It took all of her willpower not to visibly flinch and drop her binoculars when someone finally caught her in the act. "Madame Vivienne," came the voice of an elven scout behind her, "the Spymaster--"

"Why," Vivienne said to no one in particular; evidently she wasn't able to stop all her gut reactions.

"I'm sorry, ma'am?"

Vivienne turned to her, putting on a smile. "Why have you come, dear?" She didn't know what annoyed her more - being interrupted or being caught.

"The spymaster has requested your presence at your earliest convenience. She is in the undercroft."

Vivienne allowed herself to chuckle. Perhaps Leliana wanted to recruit her, or lecture her on how to properly spy on someone. "Of course. I'll be along shortly."

Tearing herself away from the balcony was easy, finding a new place for the binoculars so they wouldn't seem so conspicious was not. She had taken so long that by the time she made her way downstairs Niobe had entered the hall. Vivienne stopped to offer her a nod and a half-smile, looking her up and down quickly ( _purely_  on instinct to critique, of course). Niobe watched her right back as she freed her wild hair from its ponytail.

"I think the 'animal' is growing on you, m'lady." She grinned, pointedly eyeing her cleavage before turning to chat with Varric. Vivienne merely resumed making her way over to the undercroft, looking completely unaffected although she may have very well been something approaching flustered.


End file.
